A-Rod takes to the basepaths

The Yankees used light-hitting Brett Gardner to pinch hit for Cody Ransom today in the 7th with one out and the bases loaded. That tells us all we need to know about the importance of A-Rod to the team, and to that end, there is good news out of Tampa. A-Rod took a big step forward in his rehab today as he started running the bases. A-Rod, according to Bryan Hoch, ran from 1st to 2nd ten times, twice with a trainer offering resistance. He also charged slow rollers for the first time. The Yanks continue to say that May 15th is their target return date, and I continue to believe A-Rod will be back sooner than that.